At UFC 307 on Oct. 5, Khalil Rountree came out of his corner all fired up for the start of the fourth round against then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. He was up 2-1 on the cards, but Rountree was seduced by the roars of the crowd, who were energized by three classic rounds, craving more toe-to-toe fireworks.
They roared again when it ended that night, but the cheers were of no consolation to Rountree. Pereira opened the fourth with a flurry and finished him, handing Rountree a loss he believes could have been different with better decision-making.
The loss haunts him to this day, but it’s the manner of it that keeps him up at night. He went out guns blazing with the lead instead of protecting it with a more structured approach.
So when Rountree returned to competition on Saturday to face former champion Jamahal Hill with a spot at the top of the rankings hanging in the balance, he vowed he wouldn’t allow the crowd to negatively influence him again.
He can consider it mission accomplished.
Rountree fought like a champion Saturday. He had a brilliant game plan, he executed it efficiently and didn’t let the grumbles from a crowd eager for someone to get put to sleep throw him off.
He won a unanimous decision by scores of 50-45 twice and 49-46 in a bout unlikely to be remembered but one that will vault Rountree into the light heavyweight division’s top five.
He went in looking to be patient and efficient. He minimized the risk of a knockout by brutalizing Hill’s legs with kicks that would have knocked the heavy bag off the wall.
It wasn’t the most exciting fight the UFC has ever staged, but an all-time slugfest isn’t what Rountree needed.
He needed to beat an elite opponent in his prime to keep his dream of another shot at the title alive.
“You could tell he came in with a tight game plan and he stuck to it,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “He chopped that leg up and hurt him early with the leg kicks and then stayed on the outside and picked him apart the rest of the fight. “It’s not the fight I was expecting, but it was a good performance by him. I felt after the Pereira fight he should have been ranked higher anyway, and tonight he proved it.”
Hill is a powerful striker with legitimate knockout power, but never landed anything threatening. By the end of the second round, Rountree’s kicks had taken Hill’s legs from him.
Unable to push off his legs to create power, Hill was left without answers. He switched stances repeatedly but never found a formula that worked. Nearly all of the impactful shots in the fight were landed by Rountree, who never let his loss to Pereira at UFC 307 leave his mind.
“I came out really hard in the fourth round against Pereira, not really being in the moment and realizing that I was up [2-1 on the cards],” Rountree said. “I think had I been a little smarter in that fourth round and taken a step back a little bit like I did in this one and realized, ‘OK, I’m up,’ then maybe that fight would have played out a little differently.”
There was no bonus check, he didn’t bring the fans out of their seats and no one is going to write a book about this bout, but that means little to Rountree.
He got what he wanted most — a victory — and a likely rise to No. 4 in the rankings. It was the most significant win of his career, making it all the more satisfying for him.
“I have said this over and over: I want to be a champion,” Rountree said. “I know there are things that need to be done, but I’ll do what I have to do. If that means fighting [champion] Magomed Ankalaev next, I’ll do it. If I have to fight somebody in between to get me closer to fighting for the belt again, I’ll do that.”
For a guy who so frequently has been overlooked and underappreciated, it was a satisfying and important win.
It was a step. But he won’t be satisfied again until he’s standing in the Octagon, across from the champion one more time.